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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
An unusually well-written and thoughtful detective novel. It runs counter to many of the typical expectations.
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Excellent story with plenty of twists
I chose 4 out of 5 stars in part because I found real character depth with Patrick.
However some of choices his characters make are difficult to believe could actually be made in the real world.
Overall the book kept me guessing until close to the end.
I chose 4 out of 5 stars in part because I found real character depth with Patrick.
However some of choices his characters make are difficult to believe could actually be made in the real world.
Overall the book kept me guessing until close to the end.
Wow this was incredible. I’m happy I hardly remembered the movie so most of the book was a surprise, I’m definitely gonna be rewatching soon.
Also I’m definitely gonna be reading this entire series.
Also I’m definitely gonna be reading this entire series.
When a little girl goes missing and her mother's brother and sister-in-law hire them to find her, Patrick and Angela reluctantly accept. Their investigation drags them through a labyrinth of lies, one they will not emerge from unscathed...
Sweet zombie Jesus this is some good shit! I think Lehane might be the newest member of my crime fiction Holy Trinity with Lawrence Block and Richard Stark. Here's how it all went down.
After the events of [b:Sacred|425124|Sacred (Kenzie & Gennaro #3)|Dennis Lehane|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348510237s/425124.jpg|1352373], the previous book in the series, Patrick and Angela have more or less shacked up and have started bringing in big money. When Amanda McCready's family hires them, they take the case for the good of the child. I thought I had an idea where the case would go but it turned out I was way off. Gone, Baby, Gone was like walking down the sidewalk to get the mail and somehow ending up in Paraguay.
Gone, Baby, Gone is the most powerful Lehane book I've read yet. I thought I was desensitized to crimes against children from reading the Andrew Vachss Burke books but I was wrong. Like Mrs. Kemper's husband and I were discussing while I was reading, Angela and Patrick are much better people than Burke so the pieces of excrement they go up against while looking for a missing child seem that much more vile.
Lehane's strength is in his characters and he writes them very well. Patrick and Angela are the same people I've grown to know and love over the past few books. I felt like they dragged me to hell with them over the course of the investigation. Broussard and Poole drove the story forward and were likeable guys. I alternated feeling contempt and pity for Amanda's mother, Helene. Even Cheese was a well-realized character. Once things went pear-shaped, I couldn't believe Lehane had pulled the wool over my eyes so thoroughly, only to yank the rug out from under me so hard that I banged my head on the radiator.
I really can't say much more without giving away too much of the plot. Lehane made a believer out of me on this one. Five easy stars.
Sweet zombie Jesus this is some good shit! I think Lehane might be the newest member of my crime fiction Holy Trinity with Lawrence Block and Richard Stark. Here's how it all went down.
After the events of [b:Sacred|425124|Sacred (Kenzie & Gennaro #3)|Dennis Lehane|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348510237s/425124.jpg|1352373], the previous book in the series, Patrick and Angela have more or less shacked up and have started bringing in big money. When Amanda McCready's family hires them, they take the case for the good of the child. I thought I had an idea where the case would go but it turned out I was way off. Gone, Baby, Gone was like walking down the sidewalk to get the mail and somehow ending up in Paraguay.
Gone, Baby, Gone is the most powerful Lehane book I've read yet. I thought I was desensitized to crimes against children from reading the Andrew Vachss Burke books but I was wrong. Like Mrs. Kemper's husband and I were discussing while I was reading, Angela and Patrick are much better people than Burke so the pieces of excrement they go up against while looking for a missing child seem that much more vile.
Lehane's strength is in his characters and he writes them very well. Patrick and Angela are the same people I've grown to know and love over the past few books. I felt like they dragged me to hell with them over the course of the investigation. Broussard and Poole drove the story forward and were likeable guys. I alternated feeling contempt and pity for Amanda's mother, Helene. Even Cheese was a well-realized character. Once things went pear-shaped, I couldn't believe Lehane had pulled the wool over my eyes so thoroughly, only to yank the rug out from under me so hard that I banged my head on the radiator.
I really can't say much more without giving away too much of the plot. Lehane made a believer out of me on this one. Five easy stars.
Boston P.I.'s Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro investigate the disappearance of a 4-year old girl. In their investigation, Kenzie and Gennaro uncover ties with drug dealers and other shady characters, corruption, and conspiracy.
I really enjoyed this book. Good, realistic writing and dialogue as well as numerous twists and turns kept me interested and guessing until the very end. I liked how the characters weren't strictly good or evil but instead possessed both postive and negative characteristics. It made them more realistic and relatable. I also liked how the good vs. bad, right vs. wrong storyline was very blurred in this book, just like it usually is in real life. The story really questioned issues such as what is the right thing to do, whether the seemingly right thing is always the right choice, and whether doing something wrong for the right reasons is acceptable. I liked how the book brought up all of these issues but offered no easy solutions. Because there are no easy solutions.
My only criticisms were that the story was very graphic and violent and that some of the plot twists were a little unbelievable. But those are small quibbles in an otherwise interesting, complex, immensely readable book.
I really enjoyed this book. Good, realistic writing and dialogue as well as numerous twists and turns kept me interested and guessing until the very end. I liked how the characters weren't strictly good or evil but instead possessed both postive and negative characteristics. It made them more realistic and relatable. I also liked how the good vs. bad, right vs. wrong storyline was very blurred in this book, just like it usually is in real life. The story really questioned issues such as what is the right thing to do, whether the seemingly right thing is always the right choice, and whether doing something wrong for the right reasons is acceptable. I liked how the book brought up all of these issues but offered no easy solutions. Because there are no easy solutions.
My only criticisms were that the story was very graphic and violent and that some of the plot twists were a little unbelievable. But those are small quibbles in an otherwise interesting, complex, immensely readable book.
Great characters, great story, deeper than the typical police/PI type books I have read in the past. I plan to read more in this series. Had started out picking up "Moonlight Mile" which recently came out and everything I read said it continued the story started in the this book. I think I'll start at the beginning of series before tackling MM now.
I read Chapter 25 twice. Heart wrenching but I am on the edge of my seat and can’t put these books down.
In Gone, Baby, Gone, the master of the new noir, New York Times bestselling author Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, Shutter Island), vividly captures the complex beauty and darkness of working-class Boston. A gripping, deeply evocative thriller about the devastating secrets surrounding a little girl lost, featuring the popular detective team of Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro, Gone, Baby, Gone was the basis for the critically acclaimed motion picture directed by Ben Affleck and starring Casey Affleck, Ed Harris, and Morgan Freeman. See it on Amazon
Full disclosure: I have a real love/hate relationship with the fourth installment in the Kenzie and Gennaro series. It’s an excellent story, just like the others, but the things that happen in it make me angry because this story is that intense.
The movie has always bothered me too. It’s a cop out to make a movie based on the fourth book in a series since you can’t possibly give all of the necessary background. To be fair, I’m generally not a fan of any movie made from a favorite book – with the exception of Lady & The Tramp because adorable. Movies can never be as good as a book because so much is missing, even when they’re done extremely well, so I’ve never seen the critically-acclaimed film.
This story is dark and just keeps getting darker. It’s quite different from the others but is very heavy subject matter once again, so not for the faint of heart. A few scenes can only be described as pure nightmare fuel but it’s an excellent book. There are major developments in the Patrick-Angie relationship but there’s so much more happening.
When a four year old goes missing in their neighborhood, Patrick and Angie say there’s nothing they could do because the police are already on it. That’s accurate, but beyond that, they’ve been sticking lower-stakes cases after everything they’ve been through. Angie and Patrick have had enough trauma to last a lifetime and they’ve both come to terms with those experiences. They’re content and grateful to be happy for a change and understandably so. Why risk upsetting the balance of good in their lives, potentially sacrificing their own happiness and peace of mind?
They refuse the case and tell the woman to save her money but the girl’s aunt begs until they concede. Amanda McCready is a quiet girl with a neglectful, addicted single mother but has a loving aunt and uncle who want to save her. Helene McCready, Amanda’s mom, is awful in every way so this little girl’s life is a heartbreaking story. When the evidence suggests a connection to the Boston underworld, the MC’s have personal ties and believe they can help, so ultimately relent.
There’s a new cast of characters to meet when Angie and Patrick team up with the Boston PD detectives leading the case and quick friendships are formed. Bubba Rogowski plays an integral role in one of the most critical points of the story, which I love because Bubba is one of my all-time favorite characters. The depth of the characters and the complexity of their relationships is one of Lehane’s gifts and this book is no different. There are many twists and turns here but it’s perfectly crafted.
The suspense and emotion in this story are palpable. The ending will shock some readers who never saw it coming but even if it’s not a surprise, it’s extremely powerful. The line between good and evil is very fine here and we once again have a case that will change our heroes forever.
Full disclosure: I have a real love/hate relationship with the fourth installment in the Kenzie and Gennaro series. It’s an excellent story, just like the others, but the things that happen in it make me angry because this story is that intense.
The movie has always bothered me too. It’s a cop out to make a movie based on the fourth book in a series since you can’t possibly give all of the necessary background. To be fair, I’m generally not a fan of any movie made from a favorite book – with the exception of Lady & The Tramp because adorable. Movies can never be as good as a book because so much is missing, even when they’re done extremely well, so I’ve never seen the critically-acclaimed film.
This story is dark and just keeps getting darker. It’s quite different from the others but is very heavy subject matter once again, so not for the faint of heart. A few scenes can only be described as pure nightmare fuel but it’s an excellent book. There are major developments in the Patrick-Angie relationship but there’s so much more happening.
When a four year old goes missing in their neighborhood, Patrick and Angie say there’s nothing they could do because the police are already on it. That’s accurate, but beyond that, they’ve been sticking lower-stakes cases after everything they’ve been through. Angie and Patrick have had enough trauma to last a lifetime and they’ve both come to terms with those experiences. They’re content and grateful to be happy for a change and understandably so. Why risk upsetting the balance of good in their lives, potentially sacrificing their own happiness and peace of mind?
They refuse the case and tell the woman to save her money but the girl’s aunt begs until they concede. Amanda McCready is a quiet girl with a neglectful, addicted single mother but has a loving aunt and uncle who want to save her. Helene McCready, Amanda’s mom, is awful in every way so this little girl’s life is a heartbreaking story. When the evidence suggests a connection to the Boston underworld, the MC’s have personal ties and believe they can help, so ultimately relent.
There’s a new cast of characters to meet when Angie and Patrick team up with the Boston PD detectives leading the case and quick friendships are formed. Bubba Rogowski plays an integral role in one of the most critical points of the story, which I love because Bubba is one of my all-time favorite characters. The depth of the characters and the complexity of their relationships is one of Lehane’s gifts and this book is no different. There are many twists and turns here but it’s perfectly crafted.
The suspense and emotion in this story are palpable. The ending will shock some readers who never saw it coming but even if it’s not a surprise, it’s extremely powerful. The line between good and evil is very fine here and we once again have a case that will change our heroes forever.
kate read it and of course there is a movie on it. and heck it takes place in boston!
++++
ok so i read it.... it's a good book and i really can't wait to see the movie but gosh, it was really graphic. heavy topics of child abduction and molestation. it makes me scared to not let a child more than an arm's length from me.
i almost stopped reading because of this, but the style was a good pace and interesting so i finished it and glad i did.
now augo and i get to see the movie!
++++
ok so i read it.... it's a good book and i really can't wait to see the movie but gosh, it was really graphic. heavy topics of child abduction and molestation. it makes me scared to not let a child more than an arm's length from me.
i almost stopped reading because of this, but the style was a good pace and interesting so i finished it and glad i did.
now augo and i get to see the movie!